Cabinet backs unified road authority as Chang clarifies US migrant transit arrangement

The Jamaican government is moving forward with plans to create one road authority to consolidate how the island's highways and streets are managed, Works Minister Robert Morgan told legislators during the sector debate this week.

Cabinet has already approved the framework. Morgan said the body is meant to fix fragmented oversight, uneven maintenance standards, and weak coordination across parishes without undermining local government or parish-level responsiveness. It would carry out national road projects and regulate all roads, absorbing work now handled by the National Works Agency, NROCC, and the Toll Authority. A Jamaica Road Register would record ownership and conditions, and a mobile app would let citizens submit photos of damaged roads. Morgan also pointed to new quality controls for asphalt, patching, and contractor supervision on maintenance programmes.

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang, speaking in the House of Representatives, defended an agreement with the United States to temporarily host third-country nationals being sent back to their home countries. He said they would not be detained or held in correctional facilities, would be in Jamaica only briefly, and would be funded by the US through the International Organization for Migration. Jamaica would accept up to 25 people per flight, with a review if 10 or more remain on the island. Chang said operational procedures would be made public, though the memorandum of understanding would not be tabled in Parliament.

Nearly half of grade 11 students at Maggotty High School in St. Elizabeth have not returned since Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, Principal Sean Graham said. He urged stronger government action, noting schools can only encourage attendance. Regional Director Susan Nelson-Smith said the education ministry is using a child-find initiative to reach absent students, though locating families remains difficult in some communities.

Restaurants of Jamaica, led by Mark Myers, is spending J$180 million to open a Pizza Hut in Cumberland, Portmore—the brand's 16th local outlet and part of a J$500 million expansion across its Pizza Hut and KFC franchises. The British Jamaican Chamber of Commerce was also launched in Montego Bay during the 11th Jamaica Diaspora Conference.

PEP results for 31,806 grade-six students who sat exams on April 29 and 30 will be released Monday, June 22, with schools accessing scores at noon and parents viewing results from 2:00 p.m. via the DPIS portal.

Elite female sprinters including defending champion Tina Clayton, Shericka Jackson, and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah are set to contest the 100 metres on June 19 at the National Stadium during the JAAA Puma National Senior and Junior Championships, running June 18 to 21.